Just the Babysitter
by babygirldolan
Summary: "You will never have him! You have and always will be just the stupid, delusional babysitter!" Courtney took this babysitting job to earn some money, not to fall in love with the toddler's older brother.
1. Chapter 1

_With the way that Courtney showed her fiery personality, people always assumed she hated kids. And she would shock others by claiming she loved them, but she was telling the truth._

 _Being an only child, Courtney always craved that special attention from a younger sibling, a little kid who would love her and maybe look up to her. So, she was very dissatisfied when her parents had decided Courtney was enough for them, and they wouldn't try for another child. Sure, she loved the one on one consideration, her parents cared for her so much, but there were times Courtney wished what it felt like to get someone else's care and affection._

 _And boy, would she get more than she bargained for._

Courtney Rivera and her best friend, Bridgette Emerson sat at their usual table for lunch alongside Bridgette's boyfriend, Geoff Jacobs with a few students coming and going.

"Court," Bridgette placed her hand over her friend's so she could look up to see her. Courtney's posture changed by the sudden feel of a cold hand. "Have you finished your job search yet?"

Since Courtney was 17, and a senior, Mr. and Mrs. Rivera found it necessary for their daughter to have a job in order to learn independence and responsibility. The young teen did not like the idea though, she had way too many things going on: homework, student council, debate team, and still having to make time just for friends.

"Not yet, Bridge. I haven't seen any jobs that interest me." Courtney admitted with a huff and a hand running through her thick brown hair.

"Well my parents still have that offer up at their store, if you want." Bridgette offered and gave her friend a small smile before turning to scold Geoff over a stupid comment.

"Thanks Bridgette but I don't think I'll fit in a surf shop," Courtney giggled.

The table was suddenly quiet due to it being bombarded with making out couples, leaving Courtney out as usual. It wasn't that Courtney couldn't get a boyfriend, it's just that she did not _want_ one. She couldn't see fitting a boy into her already hectic life, but it was times like these where she wished, she could have a boy love her.

After school, and after a long student council meeting, Courtney was finally on her way home, exhausted but happy that the day was over. People assumed a straight A student like Court, would love every minute of school, but she hated it as much as everyone else. It was a simple pattern; excel in school, parents are happy, Courtney is happy. That's how it was,

Courtney reached her house and immediately peered to look in the driveway to see which one of her parents were home tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Rivera were both lawyers, meaning one of them was always sleeping at their office working on a case. But in a surprise twist, both of her parents' cars were parked in the garage, this caused a beaming sensation inside Courtney, she had both of her parents with her tonight.

Wiping her dirty boots on the mat, she opened the door widely and was captivated by the aroma of her mother's cooking. Since her father was Hispanic, their house always smelled of hispanic food. Even if her mother was French.

"Hello, _mon amour_." Mrs. Rivera greeted her daughter with a light kiss on the cheek.

" _Bon apres- midi, Maman."_ Courtney replies back in French. Since her mother was born and raised in France until she was eleven, Mrs. Rivera's first instinct was to teach her only daughter how to speak fluent French.

Courtney placed her backpack on a chair in the dining room and began to remove her coat, "Where's Daddy?" She asks, walking into the kitchen to see if her mother needed help with the food.

"Oh in his study as usual, he got assigned a new case, so I don't think he will be joining us for dinner for about a few weeks." Her mother replied tasting some soup.

Courtney couldn't help but roll her eyes, her father never joined them for anything since he always had some new case to work on, it was almost as if he valued work over family every single time. She sighed in sadness and took her books and bag upstairs to her room.

Courtney's room was as neat as you could imagine, all of her textbooks were organized in alphabetical order in her shelf, as well as pictures of famous females that she looked up to plastered all over her walls.

She had various pictures of bands on her walls as well, but hid them due to all of them being rock bands, to which no one knew about her. Courtney threw her bag on her bed and opened her laptop that her parents gave her last Christmas, she put on background music and called Bridgette on video chat.

The other line rang a couple of times and after a while, finally showed her best friend's grinning face. "Hey Court, what's up?"

Courtney didn't hide her upset face and Bridgette frowned, "Uh oh, who is it this time?" She asked, already knowing there was a problem with her parents. It always was.

"Um it's my dad today, I swear it's like he's married to his work than my mom." Courtney groans as she begins to take out her homework. She hated that she always spilled her family life to Bridgette but that was because there was no one else to talk to.

"I'm sorry, girl. Listen, I have to go help my dad at the surf shop right now, but I'll make it up to you. How about we go to the mall on Saturday and maybe find you a job along with a cute new outfit?" Bridgette suggested which put a small smile on Courtney's face.

She sniffled a little, "Yeah that sounds great, Bridge. I'll see you then."

"Okay good. Love ya Court, to infinity.."

"And beyond, Bridge." Courtney finished their small catchphrase that they have recited since kindergarten.

After a couple of hours of intense studying, a loud knock on her bedroom door snapped Courtney out of her thinking.

"Courtney, I didn't see you at the dinner table. I had to eat by my lonesome." Mrs. Rivera smiled sadly.

Courtney didn't look up from her notes, "I wasn't hungry, Mama."

"Well, I have good news…" Mrs. Rivera began to say but was interrupted by her daughter.

"Did Dad actually unlock the door from his study, so we can act like a normal, loving family for once?" Courtney fired, angrily and scribbled down notes.

Mrs. Rivera coughed uncomfortably by the tone of her daughter's voice, "I know your father and I really commit to our work at times but what do you expect Courtney? We're lawyers, it's our job to overwhelm ourselves with work."

This was the side of her mother that Courtney hated, the one that would teach a lesson rather than talk to her like another human being.

Courtney rolled her eyes, "I know what being a lawyer consists of, Mother! I'm studying to become one because that is the only acceptable career in this family." Mr and Mrs River made it very clear to Courtney had a very young age, that she was expected to become valedictorian as well as attend a brilliant law school.

"Honey," Mrs. Rivera rubbed her forehead, "I don't want to argue with you tonight. Anyways, I know how hard you have been searching for a job, and it just so happens I got off the phone call from an old friend of mine, who says she needs a babysitter for her young daughter."

"A babysitter?" Courtney snorted and shook her head, but nonetheless stopped writing. This may have been something that Courtney has always wanted, a chance of attention from someone younger like a sibling. Sure, the child wouldn't actually be her sibling but it would be nice to experience.

"Now, I know you don't really enjoy the company of younger kids, but she would pay really well." Mrs. Rivera adds making Courtney stop and think. _Sure beats working at the dinghy mall._

"Why does she need a babysitter?"

"Well her and her husband are police officers so they do need to work at night at times, and their eldest child cannot watch her due to his own issues. They said they would pay extra if you have to stay at night, plus you are welcome to do your homework on their computers and other things." This sounded like the best job ever to Courtney, and all she had to do was watch a kid. Mrs. Rivera took her daughter's silence and began to shut the door, "I'll take that as a no…"

"Wait, Mom. I'll do it."


	2. Chapter Two: Big Brother, Big Trouble

"Hey Courtney," Courtney shut her locker to be face to face with a boy she had study period with, Scott Thompson.

"Um hi Scott, was it?" Courtney replies shyly and tried to look anywhere but his face. It was very awkward since anyone who was a student at their school knew that Scott had a huge crush on Courtney.

But it just so happened that she didn't feel the same.

Scott scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I was wonderin' if you weren't doing anything…"

"Actually, we have some studying we have to do for English," Bridgette answers from behind Courtney, and she couldn't help but feel internally grateful.

Scott glared over at Bridgette a little but then ultimately smiled at Courtney, "Okay, maybe another time."

Courtney nods and then turns to Bridgette and hugs her, "You're my savior."

Bridgette chuckled at her best friend, "Uh huh, you owe me big time. That's the third time I had to make up an excuse to get you away from that guy."

"Well I had an actual excuse this time, I got a job!" Courtney grins ear to ear which earns a jump from Bridgette.

"No way! That's great, where at?"

"Well it's a babysitting job, for my mom's friend." Bridgette stops jumping and tilts her head in confusion.

"Um babysitting? Like a kid, Court?"

Courtney rolls her eyes, "Yes, Bridge. The kid is only 2 years old, and she's an angel according to my mom. How bad can it be?"

"Yeah, I'll remember to bring that up when you're tearing your hair out while the kid is running around naked." Bridgette jokes and nudges Court as the two girls made their way to their first period.

•••

Courtney was extremely nervous that she could feel her stomach churn. She was in her car on her way from school to her new babysitting job at the Jones' house. What if the kid is more chaos than she can handle?

"It's okay, Court. You got this. This is just like how you took down Britney Reed in debate." Courtney said to calm herself as she parked in the Jones' driveway.

Courtney lightly knocked on the door and frowned a little when she heard no answer, she didn't want to be a bother. The second time, she rang the doorbell, this time someone answered.

"Oh you must be Courtney!" A blonde woman who wore a police officer uniform spoke quickly as she tried to get out as soon as possible.

"Yes, and you are Mrs. Jones, I presume?" Courtney asks, startled by the woman's frantic state.

"Please, call me Diane. I'm so sorry, I must be such a wreck, it's just we finally got Sophie to nap and we are trying to get out before she wakes." Diane rambles on and rushed her husband to hurry up.

"That's Thomas, my husband. We should be off on time today and home at approximately 5 o'clock. I hope that's alright." Diane then turned toward inside the house, "THOMAS! LET'S GO, COURTNEY IS HERE!"

Courtney bit her lip, "Um Mrs—I mean Diane...wouldn't you awake the baby with the yelling?"

This caused Diane to stop and look at her feet, "I'm sorry, it's just we haven't gotten much sleep cause of Sophie. And to think we would get used to this." Thomas stood next to Diane and nodded his head to Courtney as a greeting.

"Honey, we have to go." He then talks to Courtney, "Um her bottles are already in the fridge, there are toys all over the living room, and if you find a way to get her to sleep, please tell us because we have no idea." Thomas explains quickly as he pushes Diane out of the house. "We will see you tonight !"

Courtney scrunched up her nose at how eager the parents were to leave and finally made her way inside the beautiful two story house. The young teen walked over to the living room and found the toys that Tom was talking about, almost stepping on a Hannah Hug-Doll, similar to one Courtney had growing up.

Finally, Courtney's eyes ended up on a bassinet that was near the sofa, and the smallest baby was laying there silently. Now it wasn't that Courtney has never seen a baby before, it's just she hasn't seen one in a while. Sophie was the cutest little thing with light skin, and having dark black hair sprouting out of her small head. But what stood out to Courtney was that the baby had a rattle in her bassinet, a skull shaped one.

 _Who gives a baby a skull shaped rattle?_ Courtney thought and shook away the thought.

The Jones left Courtney full access to the tv as long as it was at a reasonable volume especially if little Sophie was asleep. Courtney collapses on the couch due to the long, grueling day at school she had, plus Scott made it impossible to work in study period with his staring.

Suddenly, Court felt her phone vibrate. It was a text from Bridgette.

 **Bridge:** Hey girly, how's the little monster?

Courtney chuckled a little at the nickname Bridgette gave Sophie. _If only she could see her._

 **Court:** Good, she's fast asleep :) easiest job ever.

But Courtney spoke too soon, once she sent the text, Sophie began to stir and eventually cry. Very, very loudly.

"Oh no, no, no baby Sophie. Please don't cry." Courtney begged as she rushed to Sophie's side. "You were so good!"

Courtney tried to shush Sophie but the sobs began to escape even louder and quicker. Sophie began to kick as her once adorable face turned beet red with anger pouring out. Courtney couldn't just feed Sophie since she had her bottle already, so she gently scooped her up and cradled her.

"Please stop, little one." She whispers as Sophie ignored her babysitter's pleads.

The mocha skinned teen looked around for toys like the skull rattle and some plush dolls but they ended up on the floor as Sophie threw them. Courtney looked around frantic for something, anything that would calm Sophie down but no such luck.

"Okay, what would Mama do?" Courtney asks herself and takes a seat on the couch, she then beams when she has an idea. "How about a lullaby?"

 _Nothing's gonna harm you_

 _Not while I'm around_

 _Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir_

 _Not while I'm around_

 _Demons are prowling everywhere nowadays  
I'll send them howling, I don't care, I've got ways….._

Courtney smiles brightly once Sophie stops crying and begins to laugh as Courtney sings to her. Now that the baby was happy and still, Courtney got to absorb her features. Sophie had light skin which was expected since that was the skin of both her parents, but what really captivated Court was Sophie's bright teal eyes. She had never seen such beautiful eyes in her life.

Suddenly, the loud sound of a door being shut caused Courtney to snap out of her daydreaming. "Finally, I thought she wouldn't stop." A deep voice said from behind her.

Courtney couldn't help but yelp at the sound of someone, she was supposed to be alone with Sophie. She bit her lip and turned around to see where the voice came from, and found herself face to face with a stranger...an attractive stranger.

"Ummm I'm Courtney...and you are?" She asks, nervously.

The young man smirked at her demeanor, "Duncan, I'm Sophie's big brother."


	3. Chapter Three: Little Angel

Courtney had to mentally scold herself for staring at the guy in front of her, she probably looked like a creep to him. He was tall but not so much as to be considered a giant, and had black hair but green streaks throughout, He clearly had muscles and his shirt failed to cover them. But Courtney realized that teal eyes seemed to travel through the family since Duncan had them just like his little sister, but he looked so good with them.

"I didn't know Sophie had a big brother," Courtney inputs while placing stray hairs from her messy bun behind her hair. _Well, that was a big ass lie,_ she told herself mentally, _Mom said the Jones' had an older child._ But Courtney figured he would be younger, maybe about ten years old.

Duncan raised an eyebrow and Courtney's eyes were drawn to his many piercings, hell he had some on his eyebrow, some on his ear, and she could've sworn he had a tongue one as well. "I guess my parents forgot I existed." He scoffs and walks past her to the kitchen.

Courtney did not know what to do, so she stayed silent while she cradled Sophie back to sleep, "You said your name was Courtney right?" Duncan asks her suddenly, continuing their introduction.

Courtney simply nodded, "Courtney Rivera." She replies along with adding her last name.

Then Duncan smirks again, "My parents talked about you, plus your parents come around often. You're some sort of _princess,_ huh?" Duncan laughs as Courtney is taken back by the sudden nickname.

But she didn't like it one bit, "I'm not a princess!" She fires back and bounces Sophie who seemed to enjoy her babysitter's and brother's interaction.

Her reaction just made the punk laugh, "Yeah you are, always doing things perfectly, a golden child."

 _How dare he?_ Courtney thought, _He acts like he has me figured out or something, who does he think he is?_

"You don't know anything about me. Just by your appearance, I can speculate you're a punk and a vandal who loves to do nothing but cause trouble." Courtney sneered as Duncan pulled a beer out of the fridge.

"Got that right, princess." He winks playfully and chugs the beer down quickly.

Courtney had to turn around and place Sophie down in order to hide the redness coming to her cheeks.

"Well," Duncan lets out a huge burp as Courtney gags, "I gotta go do "vandal" stuff, but it was great to meet you princess." He waves and places a black jacket and holds on to a motorcycle helmet. He turns to leave but goes to pat Sophie's head gently, "See ya around, Soph. Give your new babysitter hell." He whispers to her for Courtney not to hear, but she did and scowled at the words.

Next thing she knew, Duncan was out the door, leaving her and Sophie alone again. "Please tell me you don't have any other obnoxious brothers." Courtney mutters as the young child giggled in response.

The next day at school, Courtney didn't hesitate to share her encounter with Duncan to Bridgette in class. And as usual, Bridgette was incredibly invested since she loved her best friend's stories with guys.

"So is he hot?" Bridgette asks with a sly smile, but also trying to act like she was working to not upset their teacher.

Courtney held back a smile, "He has a certain charm to him,"

"So in Courtney speak, that is a definite yes!" Bridgette squealed, too loud which made the whole class stare in the girls' direction.

"Ms. Emmerson, Ms. Rivera. I'm quite certain silent study, should be silent!" Their english teacher, Mr. Deltorro scolded them as some students laughed.

"Sorry," The girls replied in unison, but told each other to finish the conversation.

Finally the bell rang for lunch and Courtney was able to finish telling her story to Bridgette. "So I asked my mom if she knew anything more about him since she talks to his mom, and he is 19 graduated high school already, which his parents were surprised about."

"Oooh he's older AND a bad boy? Court, you hit the jackpot." Bridgette nudged her best friend as they sat down at their usual table.

Courtney rolled her eyes, "He is so not my type though, I'm sure if I wasn't holding his sister, we would've killed each other on the spot."

Bridgette laughed at the thought of Courtney fighting a guy, "Well then get to know him better. Maybe this bad boy thing is a front."

This made Courtney choke on her food, "Oh no, I'm staying far away from him as possible, I can't stand him. Plus I don't want to lose my job."

"I guess," Bridgette sighed, why couldn't Courtney just live a little? "But it's senior year, at least try to have some fun."

Soon the Duncan discussion was finished once Geoff reached their table, "Hey babe. What's up, Courtney?" Geoff smiled brightly at her and offered a fist bump which she gladly returned. It was really hard to hate Geoff, he just easily got along with everyone.

"Hey baby, I was just giving Courtney boy advice." Bridgette smirked over at Courtney who shot back a glare.

Geoff grinned, "Court, I have a lot of my friends who are interested." He offered with a small shrug, but Courtney couldn't see herself dating a surfer party boy.

"No thanks, Geoff. I'm fine staying single, plus I have my big debate coming up, don't want a boy to distract me from winning." Courtney claims proudly and walks off with her lunch.

Geoff and Bridgette share a sad look before continuing eating.

Courtney was surprised to find herself relieved once she arrived at the Jones' for her second day on the job, some quality time with Sophie was exactly what she needed to put her mind at ease. The Jones' had given her a key to the house so she used that to get in and was surprised to see Mr and Mrs Jones still there.

"Oh Courtney, great timing. We were just getting ready to leave." Diane smiled as she placed a dress onto Sophie who was wide awake today.

Thomas fixed his badge, "She just woke up from her nap, so she should be calm for a while. Diane, they want us at the station , now." He tells his wife as she nods and kisses Sophie on the cheek.

"There is food for you if you get hungry, Courtney." Diane offers.

Courtney smiled, "Oh thank you, that's so sweet."

"We will be back later." Thomas calls out as the couple leaves which left Courtney to work.

Courtney placed Sophie in her play pen as she started to clean the house as well as work on her debate. "Hmm what if I attack with my statement of….no that sucks! C'mon Courtney, you're better than this." She began to mutter to herself as she began to delete everything she typed.

"You always talk to yourself, Princess?" Courtney yelped again by being startled then scowled at the familiar voice.

"You need to stop sneaking up in me, Duncan. I hate that." She starts to say, not peeling her eyes from her laptop screen.

"Sorry Princess. Didn't mean to startle you." Duncan said in a fake voice to imitate Courtney and it made her blood boil.

She glared at him, "Stop calling me Princess." She snarled in irritation and continued to type on her laptop as she could feel Duncan's eyes on her. He lets out a low chuckle and walks over to pick up his little sister.

"What are you doing?" Courtney asks as Duncan begins to play with little Sophie.

Duncan scoffs but doesn't turn to face Court, "Um playing with my little sister, what does it look like, Princess?"

"I meant here," Courtney corrected with a slight cough, "The reason your parents hired me is because no one would be able to take care of Sophie." She did not let her eyes dart one second over to him.

Duncan found the girl in front of him so interesting, the way that she wasn't all over him like previous babysitters, she had priorities and she stuck by them. He reached over with Sophie still in his arms and made his way in front of Courtney.

"Hey princess, why don't you join us then?" Duncan asks with a sly smile when Courtney actually looked up from her work. She gazed up at Sophie who was giggling at her, almost as if she was encouraging her to come. After mentally debating with herself, Court placed her laptop to the side and sat down beside the Jones' siblings as Sophie waddled her way to her babysitter.

"She likes you," Duncan commented as Courtney looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"How do you know? I've only watched over her for a day." Courtney lets out a small chuckle once Sophie starts to explore her face.

Duncan shrugs, "Well, with the other babysitters, Sophie would've had them screaming by now, or just quitting. She's a wild one, I like to think she got it from me."

Sophie lets out a gurgle and then a statement with hard to understand words, resulting in both Courtney and Duncan looking at her confused.

"What are you saying, Sophie?" Courtney coos at the baby, and she just clapped her hands in response.

Sophie seemed to understand that both her brother and babysitter couldn;t understand her so she started to get frustrated and began to get fussy.

"Oh crap." Duncan groaned at the expected temper tantrum.

"No, no Soph. You don't need to cry, remember you're a good girl, and good girls don't cry." Courtney says while bouncing the baby who's cries began to fade and Duncan stared in amazement.

"H-How did you do that?" He asks.

Courtney shrugged the question off as if it weren't a big deal, "Well with what I've noticed from my mom growing up, it's never too early to enlist discipline."

Before the pair knew it, the day had passed and Diane and Thomas had arrived home from work.

"Courtney, I do hope everything is-" Diane stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Courtney rocking Sophie who was slowly falling asleep.

Courtney beams when she sees her, "Oh hello, Mrs. Jones. Sophie just ate so I'm putting her down for a nap."

Diane gasped and looked over at her husband, "Thomas, the house isn't a wreck, the baby is calm, and the babysitter isn't screaming. I think we found a keeper." Thomas chuckled slightly at his wife.

"Careful Diane, we don't want to scare Courtney off." Courtney simply shook her head when she overheard the exchange.

"Oh don't worry, Duncan told me about the other babysitters and trust me, I don't see myself leaving anytime soon."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, "Duncan? _Our son,_ Duncan?"

Courtney nodded, "He helped me with Sophie, he left to go out somewhere I presume."

"Oh well, that's nice of him. About helping you out, I mean." Diane coughed and Courtney shifted at the tense conversation.

Suddenly, the front door opened again and revealed the delinquent himself. "Hey princess…." He rolled his eyes at the sight of his parents, "Hey Ma, Pa."

Diane smiled and hugged her son as he tried to break off, as Thomas just nodded in the direction of his son. Courtney could tell the strained relationship between the father and son.

"Well I'd better be going before my mother worries," Courtney places Sophie in her bassinet and kisses her chek, "I'll see you tomorrow, angel."

"Thank you so much for tonight, Courtney. Tomorrow, Diane and I will be home but we will be surrounded with paperwork so you can still watch Sophie." Thomas explains with his wife nodding along.

"Tell your mother I said hello."

Courtney smiles, "I will." She grabs her coat and computer and heads for the door.

"Later, princess." Duncan smirks as Courtney groans and rolls her eyes at the nickname.

"Bye, vandal."


	4. Chapter Four: Not Your Average Princess

"Courtney, have you been working on your debate yet?" Courtney's debate teacher asks her during sixth period. Courtney hesitates but then opens her laptop to show her progress. Unfortunately, all that was written was her name and a sentence of introduction.

Since, she spent the day with Sophie and Duncan yesterday, Courtney went to bed tired and forgot all about her opening statement.

"I'm sorry, Miss Elliots, I was busy last night. I can finish my statement in study period today, and then finish the rest tonight, I promise." Courtney pleaded, this was the first time she ever lost track with an assignment.

Her teacher sighs but eventually nods in understanding, "Very well, Courtney. But if you cannot handle the pressure, I can have someone else take your place in the debate."

Courtney scoffs at the idea, she was the most capable person on the debate team. Plus, she already told her parents and they made reservations to leave work early just to watch the debate, they would be disappointed if she got kicked off.

"I can handle it," She mutters as her teacher walks off to help other students. Courtney runs a hand through her light brown hair and considered pull it out in frustration.

"Gee, Courtney. Must suck to not be so perfect, huh?" A girl that had tormented Courtney since the first grade named Michelle snickers behind her.

"Shut up, Michelle. Heather is not here so you can stop trying to impress her." Courtney fires back and smirks when she hears Michelle huff.

Michelle rolls her eyes, "I don't need to impress Heather. Oh, what's it like to be the only single girl in the entire senior class?" Courtney felt her chest tighten at the mention of it, she didn't even notice that every other girl was taken.

"So? I don't see you in the halls with anyone, Michelle." Courtney whisper counters as the teacher starts to look in her direction, there was no way she would get in trouble because of Michelle.

"My boyfriend doesn't go here, smartass." Michelle begins to stand up as the bell ending the period, rang.

Courtney took this as an excuse since Michelle was probably single as well and did not want to admit.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that, sweetie." Courtney whispers as she brushes past Michelle and on to her next class.

Courtney arrived to the Jones' house right after school since debate team meeting was cancelled, much to Courtney's delight. There is only so much debate things she can handle, it was already enough that she had to finish her debate by tonight.

"Courtney, great to see you." Diane smiled at the door while giving Courtney a hug as she walked in.

 _She sure was nice,_ Courtney thought.

Thomas smiled at her once she was fully inside, he was sitting at the dining room table with his laptop and boxes upon boxes with forms. "Good afternoon, Courtney." He greets then continues with his work.

Courtney waves but then gets ultimately side tracked once she sees Sophie playing in her pen. "Hello, angel!" Courtney beams and Sophie returns the expression with a giggle and smile. Courtney picks up Sophie as she held her arms out and began to bounce the toddler.

"That must be some case you are working on." Courtney comments on the massive amount of work the Jones' were doing.

Thomas nervously chuckles as he types quick on his computer, "Yes you could say that, and it needs to be done by next week."

Diane shares an uneasy look with her husband, "Thankfully, we have you Courtney. So, we don't have to be up every second for Sophie."

"It's not a problem, I think Sophie and I have really bonded." Courtney laughs as Sophie touches her eye with her little hands.

After a few hours, Courtney spent the afternoon playing with Sophie as well as talking with Diane and Thomas, who really appreciated her help with the case since she had knowledge because of her parents.

"Oh no," Diane sighs, "It's already late and I haven't made dinner. Should we ask Duncan to go get takeout?"

Thomas let out a dry chuckle, "Like I trust that boy with my car."

"I can go." Courtney offers with a smile, "I can take my car, plus it gives me time to learn how to put in Sophie's car seat."

Diane shakes her head, "Sweetie, we can't ask you to go out right now."

"Then I can make dinner. I know how to cook meals. My mother taught me so I would know when I'm home alone." Courtney offers again, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"That's nice of you, Courtney. But what kind of hosts would we be if we had you cook?"

Then, the sound of a room door being opened caused them to look at the hallway.

Duncan emerged from his room and looked at his parents, "What's going on?"

Thomas glare softly, "Well someone is nice and actually offering to cook or get food." He mutters and motions over to Courtney who blushes.

"Oh hey Princess." Duncan smirks over at her as she glares at him as well.

"Stop calling me that!"

Duncan finally gets the hint and sighs in annoyance, "Alright. I'll go pick up something. But Courtney should come with me."

Courtney turns to look at him, shocked, "Why?"

The punk just offers a slight shrug, "I need help carrying stuff."

Courtney opens the front door with her car keys in her hand, as Duncan pulls her back.

"What the hell?" She asks, obviously annoyed.

Duncan chuckles, "No way am I going in your car, we can just take my bike."

Courtney looks over to see a huge black motorcycle parked in the driveway. It looked dirty so it wasn't brand new, and what drew her attention were the many, many skulls carved on the side. She gasped slightly, since she was nervous, she had never ridden one before.

"Um, that's a death contraption. How is that safer than my car?" Courtney asks, clutching her keys to her chest.

"Didn't say it was safer, but it is way more fun." Duncan laughs and Courtney realized what a nice, deep laugh he had. His voice was dark but it was very attractive.

 _Snap out of it, Courtney! He is bad news!_

"We are going in my car, end of story!" Courtney stomps her foot with a look of pride and Duncan couldn't help but smirk.

"Alright, Princess. Whatever you say." Courtney took the victory and even excused him calling her that ridiculous nickname.

After the pair had gotten food, Duncan decided to break the silence by blasting the radio on Courtney's stereo. Courtney was too focused on the road to even object so Duncan began to play with the stations.

"God, no good music." Duncan mutters in disappointment, "Let's see what the Princess has on her personal playlist." He offers and Courtney's eyes go wide.

"No, don't!" Courtney screams and tries not to run off the road.

"What? It's probably cheesy pop bands." Duncan teases then plays the first song. Courtney mentally curses as the beginning chords of a guitar begins to play as Duncan looks in shock.

"This..this is Toxic Paradise. One of my favorite bands of all time. The princess listens to devil music?" Duncan asks in a teasingly high voice, impersonating a parent.

Courtney avoids his gaze as she shuts off the radio, "Don't know how that got there." She brushes off the disbelief in her story that Duncan had and continued to focus on the road yet again.

Leaving Duncan with many more questions about the princess, then what he started with.

"Thank you so much, you two." Diane smiles gratefully as they finished eating dinner.

"It was no problem," Courtney places an arm on her shoulder then as usual in her routine at this time, puts baby Sophie to sleep.

Duncan went straight to his room as he got a phone call and Courtney packed up her things so she could leave.

"Thank you again, Courtney. We really appreciate it." Thomas gives her a smile and she happily returns it.

"Of course."

Courtney spent the entire night working on her debate and she ended up finishing at about 3 am, to which she showed when she arrived to school, in her not usual self.

"Court, are you alright? You seem out of it." Bridgette comments as she stood by her locker.

Courtney let out a small goran as she placed a hand over her head, "I spent the majority of the day babysitting, and by the time I got home I worked all night on my debate." Bridgette gave a look of sympathy to her best friend then fits of giggles were heard behind them.

"Gosh, Courtney. You're looking more like _shit_ everyday." Another mean girl by the name of Heather sneers. Heather and Courtney had a very interesting history, up until middle school Heather and Courtney were close friends and were inseparable along with Bridgette. But then high school came around and Heather snapped, turning into the queen bee and forgetting the girls that were her true friends. In the end, they became mortal enemies.

Bridgette glared, "That's not very nice, Heather." Courtney loved Bridge with all of her heart, but the girl couldn't trash talk to save her life.

Heather faked a sad look, "Oh I'm sorry. Did I hurt her feelings?"

Michelle cackled behind her, "Gee Heather, you should apologize." She says with a frown but then ends up laughing alongside with Heather. The group of girls then walked off leaving Courtney and Bridgette alone.

Courtney felt her heart clench then slammed her locker, "Let's just get to class."

 **Author's Note**

 **WOW! Two updates in a span of two days, I'm so proud of myself. So we got introduced to the mean girls, Heather and Michelle. Michelle has a bigger role in this story so don't think she's just a side character.**

 **Review what you think and I would love feedback!**


	5. Chapter Five: Oh No

Duncan arrived at a very small cafe, searching the many tables of people for someone in particular. Finally, he heard a woman's voice call him.

"Duncan!" He turned and saw a young pale girl, who had jet black short hair with faded green streaks throughout. What really stood out, though her skin was white and soft, were her rosy red lips.

Duncan smiles and heads over, instantly embracing the teen with a hug. The two share a laugh then sit on a table where she had already placed a coffee in front of him.

"Hey Gwen," He greets and takes a sip of the coffee. Gwen and Duncan had been best friends since the first grade when Gwen was the only one that appreciated Duncan's punk and dark style.

Gwen lets out a small smile along with a cough, "So, notice anything different.." She then begins to purposely wave her hand across the table, catching Duncan's attention.

Duncan squinted his eyes, as Gwen's hand moved really quick but then something shiny made its way in vision. "Woah no way!" Duncan was amazed to see a shiny, diamond ring on Gwen's left hand. "Guitar boy proposed?"

Gwen rolled her eyes but nonetheless smiled at her best friend's reaction, "His name is Trent, and yes he did, last week."

The young punk let his head drop out of surprise, his most closest friend in the world was getting married. "Damn, how'd the folks take it?"

Gwen stopped smiling for a bit and sipped coffee, "You know how my mom is, she was ecstatic. She loved Trent so she was practically begging us to have her help with the wedding." She then hesitated to continue on, Duncan gave her a confused look.

"And what about his?"

Gwen's finger softly traced the table and she bit her lip, "They were very upset, they thought we were rushing things since we've only been together for a year. Plus, let's be honest. I'm not every parent's dream for their son to be dating." She scoffs then motions to herself.

Duncan pressed his lips in a firm line, "Gwen, you're an amazing person and if his parents can't see that then to hell with them."

The rest of the cafe had turned to see where the yelling had occurred, and Gwen blushed at the massive amount of attention.

"Thanks Duncan." She smiles and places a hand on his arm in gratitude for his words. "So enough about me, how's that bratzilla of a girlfriend doing?"

He lets out a deep chuckle as he takes in the joke, it wasn't that he really cared though. But it was no secret that Gwen did not like his girlfriend, he had invited her to a double date with Trent and Gwen and things did not end well.

"Don't call -" Gwen instantly cuts him off.

She waves her hands, begging him to stop, "Nope, don't say her name in front of me."

Duncan playfully pushes her but then nervously rubs his earring, "Um, but there is someone."

His best friend's eyes immediately went wide and became even more intrigued, "No way! A new girl in bad boy, Duncan's life? Now this I have to hear…."

Duncan then begins to describe a girl that had his attention, the girl that he called Princess.

Courtney felt eyes on her as she began to memorize her debate in free period, and unfortunately they weren't welcomed stares. Without Bridgette there to tell him off, Courtney had to endure Scott's stares without publically yelling it in front of the class.

Finally, the bell was her savior and Courtney shot up in her seat, gathered all of her belongings and tried to head to the door but was stopped by the calling of her name.

"Courtney!" Scott grabbed her shoulder and Courtney's body tensed slightly at the contact, "Glad I caught 'ya."

Courtney cleared her throat, "Is there something that you need, Scott? I have to get to my job."

"Yeah. Listen, I ain't doin' too well on my math homework, so I was wonderin' if you could tutor me." Courtney was taken back at the request, she did not want to spend an entire afternoon tutoring Scott Thompson, but she had to get to Sophie.

"Um sure, sure." Courtney waves him off then hurries to her car.

Courtney found her way into the Jones' residence with Thomas and Diane giving her a warm greeting before heading out. Her initial instinct was to grab Sophie and play with her, but to Courtney's disappointment, she was already asleep.

She then headed onto the couch and flipped through some channels on the tv, but there was nothing to watch. Bored as hell, Courtney decided to go to the kitchen and see what kind of snacks she could munch on.

Duncan opened the front door of the house as she returned from hanging out with Gwen, "Hey princess." He greets with his usual smirk and Courtney groans.

"Lord, give me the strength to ignore this neanderthal." Courtney jokingly prays to the heavens with hopeful eyes as Duncan shares a quiet laugh.

He places his black leather jacket on the couch as he looks to see a sleeping Sophie, "That girl just loves her sleep."

Courtney scoffs, "She IS a baby," She states in her 'i know everything' tone.

Duncan then makes his way into the kitchen and stands besides Courtney, "So, what's for dinner, woman? I'm starving." He comments as she is taken aback.

She places a hand on her hip, "I hope you don't expect me to answer that, plus I was thinking of making cupcakes for Sophie for when she wakes up."

The punk sets on a chair and sets his feet up, not taking his eyes off Courtney.

"Alright, so let me know when they are ready." He then tries to drift to sleep but before he could, he felt hands push down his legs making him sit up.

"Um, you're going to help me, I can't do this by myself." Courtney placed her hands on her hips. Duncan did not know why, but he suddenly felt himself start to stand up.

What was he doing? He never took orders from anyone, not even his parents or teachers when he was in high school. Why was he taking orders from her?

Duncan placed his hands in his pockets, "I don't know how to bake." By this time, Courtney was already putting her hair up in a ponytail, and wrapping an apron around her small waist.

"That's alright. I'll teach you." Courtney offers a small smile then looks around the kitchen. "Can you get some eggs for me, please?"

Again, Duncan couldn't help but comply and he grabbed three eggs and placed them in Courtney's hands.

She cracked them easily and then put the cupcake mix in the bowl as well and began to mix it all. That took about a few minutes before Courtney stopped and offered the bowl to Duncan.

"My arm is getting tired, can you just mix it for a little, while I warm up the oven?" Courtney looked up at Duncan with big, adorable eyes and he felt this weird feeling in his chest. He did not say a word but simply nodded and took the bowl from her. Courtney, did as she said and put a timer as the pair poured the mix into the cupcake tin and then left it in the oven to bake.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Courtney smirks at how well Duncan did with baking.

Duncan rolled his eyes and playfully pushed her, "Yeah, yeah. Princess."

Once the oven signaled it was done, Courtney jumped up and rushed to take the tray out.

"Time to decorate them!" She yells over at Duncan, who chuckles and then walks over to join her. "Okay you start with the frosting."

Courtney then looks at the process of Duncan but gasps horrified when she sees the inconsistency of the frosting. "Duncan, you're such a slob! The cupcakes need to have the same amount of frosting!"

Duncan scoffed at her tone, "Princess, relax it's fine. You need to stop being so uptight, let go of that pole up your butt."

This made Courtney offended, "That is so not true, I'm the most easy going person I know!"

"Uh huh, okay, princess." Duncan teases then places frosting on Courtney's face causing her to scream and cringe. She doesn't say a word but then cracks an egg on top of his egg, making him groan.

"Alright, now you're in for it." He playfully yells as Courtney runs away giggling, like she was a little kid. She had never felt like this before, had so much fun with one person. As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed having Duncan around.

Courtney hides behind a wall but then finds herself being throw over Duncan's shoulder as she begins to hit his back.

"Let me go!" She says in between laughs and begins to squirm. Duncan lets Courtney fall back to the ground and the two teens face each other, both trying to catch their breaths from laughing too hard.

Courtney places wild hairs behind her ear and tries wave off her red face, but Duncan couldn't help but find her beauty intoxicating.

Suddenly the doorbell rang that knocked them both out of their pull toward each other and Duncan walked over to the door. His tall figure was blocking the doorway so Courtney couldn't see who it was.

"Hey babe." Duncan lets out a soft breath, and Courtney scrunches up her nose.

 _Babe?_ She thought.

Duncan then steps to the side revealing the person Courtney hated most in life.

"Michelle?!"


	6. Chapter Six: Anything You Can Do

"Courtney!" Michelle shrieked in pure horror. The girl whom she has bullied and hated all of her life, was in her boyfriend's house. Her face covered in frosting, and Duncan had egg all over his hair. "What the hell is going on here?"

Duncan looked at Michelle confused, "Wait, you guys know each other?"

Courtney turned away and spoke through gritted teeth, "We go to the same school."

"Well, Michelle, Courtney is Sophie's babysitter." Duncan explains, and right on cue, Sophie starts to wake up with a loud wail. Happy she could get out of the conversation, Courtney rushed and picked up Sophie, trying to calm her down.

As an instinct, Duncan walked over to Courtney's side and placed Sophie's favorite blanket over her, since it was pretty chilly in the house.

Courtney stared over at him and gave him a soft smile, "Thank you." She whispers and he shares the smile with a faint nod.

Michelle watched the exchange between the two in pure discomfort and anger. Courtney, a useless, goody two shoes, who she despised had HER boyfriend wrapped around her finger.

She cleared her throat, gaining Duncan's attention back, "Can I talk to you? In _private."_ Michelle sneered the last part at Courtney, so she wouldn't follow. But what took Michelle back wasn't the hesitant look Duncan gave her to leave, but Duncan turning to Courtney as if asking permission to go. Courtney gave him a nod of approval. And that drew the line for Michelle.

As Duncan led the way to his bedroom, Michelle glared hard at Courtney before following behind her boyfriend.

* * *

Michelle slammed the door after Duncan so no one could hear the conversation and she glared right at him.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Michelle asks, crossing her arms while leaning against the wall as Duncan sat down on his bed.

"I told you, she's Sophie's babysitter." Duncan rolls his eyes and covers his face in his hands at how much Michelle was overreacting.

"Okay, so your parents couldn't hire an 80 year old woman to watch her?" Michelle shifts, "I can't stand her, she's the absolute worst. She always has to fire back at me."

Duncan scoffs, "She's actually alright," Duncan lied through his teeth, she was definitely more than alright but he didn't want to get Michelle even more mad, "You know I can't stand your high school drama. Especially with that Heather bitch you always hang out with."

Michelle gasps, "She's my best friend, Duncan!"

Duncan had had enough, "Look I'm done with this. You're my girlfriend, okay? And Courtney is Sophie's babysitter so I'm gonna be around her now, deal with it."

With that, Michelle found herself hating Courtney even more.

* * *

The next day…

Bridgette felt herself getting pulled into a nearby classroom as soon as she walked through the school's doors.

"Ow!" Bridgette rubbed her wrists, "Pretty harsh, Court."

Courtney ignored Bridgette's groan and ran a hand through her hair nervously, "Something happened yesterday.

Bridgette's eyes went wide, "Did you and Duncan hook up?"

"No, no." Courtney waved that thought off, "You know how Michelle would brag about having an older boyfriend?" She was hoping she would catch on.

"Yeah, so what….." Bridgette began to say but slowly figured out what Courtney was trying to tell her. "Wait.. so she's actually dating.."

"Duncan." The best friends replied in unison.

"What the hell?"

Courtney shares a sad look, "We were having a great time but then _she_ showed up. I've been avoiding her all morning."

Bridgette gave her best friend a hug, "She can't do anything if there's both of us. Now c'mon we have to get to first period."

With that, the pair exited the classroom and walked into the hallways, or well the war zone.

Courtney held her breath as they passed by Michelle and Heather's lockers where they and their friends often stood in the morning. She felt the glares, and she was so glad that Bridgette was there with her.

"Oh look, there is the little homewrecker." Heather snickered causing Courtney to stop in her tracks, and making Bridgette stop suddenly.

Courtney turned to face the two girls, "I didn't do anything, I'm just doing my job." She shrugs and this time it's Michelle who speaks up.

"Your job isn't to get all close to my boyfriend. Duncan is mine! Okay? He asked _ME_ out." Michelle spat in her face and Courtney felt her blood boil at the thought of Duncan being used as an item by Michelle. He could handle himself, and Courtney could definitely handle herself.

"That's cause he didn't know me at the time." Courtney fired with a devilish smirk, making Bridgette and Heather gasp behind their best friends. Court turned around and dragged Bridgette away from the hostile environment she created.

* * *

"Court, your fight with Michelle is all over school." Bridgette mutters on the other side of the call as Courtney played with her hair, sitting on the couch at the Jones'.

"Well, I think Michelle might've said something to Duncan cause he isn't home today like he usually is." She admits with a bite of her lip.

Bridgette sighs, "You've gotta be careful girl, now we know he's taken by your mortal enemy.

As much as Courtney hated to say it, Bridgette had a point, she was on thin ice with Michelle and if Duncan's parents liked her, she could lose her job.

The front door opened and closed shut and Courtney was too scared to look at who it was and just stayed put, typing away at her debate while Bridgette was on the other line.

"I gotta go, Bridge. I have to finalize my debate for Saturday, Love ya, to infinity.."

"And beyond." Bridgette finished and ended the call.

Court stared at her opening paragraph and then at Sophie who was happily playing in her playpen. Courtney smiled at the sight then sat on the floor beside Sophie as she giggled at her babysitter.

"Okay, so Sophie you need to be my audience, can you do that, angel?" Courtney cooed as Sophie gurgled in response.

"Or, you could just ask me for help, princess." Duncan's deep voice caused Courtney to jump suddenly.

Courtney collects herself and shakes her head, "That's fine, I can do this myself." She thought about the fight and decided to distance herself from Duncan… no matter how much she didn't like it. Or want to admit it.

Duncan could tell of her hesitance and hated how she was in such an uncomfortable situation now. "Who do you think will help you more, me or Soph?" He tried to get her to relax more by continuing his joking.

Courtney smiled at his willingness to keep her happy and less distant, maybe he actually cared for her, just maybe. "Hm Sophie." She laughed which made Duncan smile.

"Now c'mon," He offered his hand, let's get you ready for your debate." Courtney happily took it and the two teens sat on the couch.

Courtney raised an eyebrow, "What do you know about school debates?"

"Absolutely nothing, but I know a thing or two about fighting and yelling at someone until they admit I'm right." Duncan shrugs and looks over at Courtney's notes, "Yeah logic is good and all, but you really gotta show your opponent you mean business."

Courtney cut him off, "I am, but pushing them with stone cold facts."

The punk shook his head, "Princess, you can try that all you want, but unless you strike a little fear, they aren't gonna take you serious." Courtney would've rather die than take someone else's advice on how to handle her debate, but that was before she met Duncan.

"Pretend I'm your opponent, okay? We are shaking hands and whatever," Duncan ushered her up as she faced him, "Now say something to throw me off my game,"

Courtney stares up at him confused, "But that's not allowed, Duncan."

"Not if you whisper it." He says quietly, "Just a little edge."

The young brunette glared a little, what if she got disqualified? "Fine, how about, you're going down?"

Duncan chuckled, "You want me off my game, not laughing my ass off. C'mon, more mean."

"Okay, might as well back down now, it'll save you from humiliation when I win." Courtney says in a dark tone with a dark hint of a glare in her eyes.

Duncan clapped his hands and smiled, "There you go! If I were single, I'd kiss you right now." Courtney's entire face flushed once Duncan had said that, he didn't mean it, he was just joking around.

Courtney playfully pushed him, "Oh shut up."

It was time for Sophie to eat, so Courtney put her debate on hold and poured the baby food in the bowl. "I'm impressed, Princess. You'll be ready for that debate." Duncan spoke up while Courtney tried to get the food in Sophie's mouth.

"Thanks," She smiles then turns to Sophie, "Oh good job, angel! You finished all your food." Courtney places a kiss on her forehead then cleans Sophie's mouth.

"Pincess." Sophie says, her baby voice makes it hard to understand but Duncan and Courtney gasp.

"She just said her first word." Duncan whispered in disbelief. "She called you princess." He chuckled as Courtney smiled.

"Thanks a lot," She muttered and nudged him.

* * *

"Oh my baby girl said her first word!" Diane squeals holding Sophie, as Courtney told her the great news. But sadly, Duncan had to leave due to a date with Michelle.

"So, what was it?" Thomas asks.

Courtney blushes faintly but smiles, "Um princess."

Diane looks on confused, "Princess, isn't that what Duncan calls you?"

Courtney couldn't help but nod, biting her lip to hide her smile.


	7. Chapter Seven: I Can Do Better

Courtney could feel the burning feeling of Michelle's eyes glaring at the back of her head during study period, and it took all of her strength to ignore it. She hadn't done anything of course, except she was finding herself more and more attracted to another girl's boyfriend, the brother of the kid she was babysitting, no less.

She kept tapping her pencil to derail her mind from the thought of Michelle getting mad at her, but that was making too much noise especially study period, so she ultimately stopped.

"Sorry, I had to cut Duncan's time away from your study time. Oh wait, no I'm not because I'm allowed to spend time with my boyfriend whenever I want." Michelle teased from behind her, almost making Courtney break her pencil.

But Michelle was right, she could spend time with Duncan whenever she wanted. And for once, Courtney envied her.

But she was not gonna let Michelle get the best of her, Courtney looked up at the clock and saw that there was only about twenty seconds left of class. She turned in her seat to get a good look at Michelle, sure she was in deep water but she couldn't let Michelle get the last laugh.

"Oh but did Duncan tell you that Sophie said her first word, yesterday?" Courtney let her lips curve into a little smile at the fond memory, "Yeah, it was princess." As the bell rang, Courtney leaned in to whisper to Michelle, "That's what Duncan calls me,"

Boy, did the expression of pure shock on Michelle's face make Courtney feel so good. She didn't like the fact that she was attracted to someone who had a girlfriend, she should respect it. But Michelle did not deserve a guy like Duncan, so for now she just had to see how this would all end up.

* * *

Bridgette, Geoff, and Courtney sat at their usual table for lunch when Courtney seemed more different to the couple than usual. Geoff stopped taking a bite of his hamburger to get a better look at his friend.

"You alright, dude? You seem relaxed, more happy even." Geoff chuckles as Courtney gives him a smile and continues to eat.

"Why wouldn't I be happy? I have the best job, good friends and my debate is in two days. I'm ecstatic." Courtney beams at the thought of all the good things coming into her life, but did not mention the one new person.

Bridgette snorts and Geoff looks at his girlfriend confused, "It's this new guy she has a crush on."

"New guy? Who is he? I've never seen you with any guy around." Geoff questions as Courtney gives Bridgette a playful glare for telling Geoff about Duncan.

Courtney clears her throat nervously since Michelle and Heather had passed by on their way to their table. "Um, he's not a student here. He is a little older."

Geoff laughs and smacks the table, "Damn Courtney!"

Bridgette giggles along with him but eventually hits him for making such a scene about it, "You cannot say a word, because well, Michelle is dating the guy she has a crush on." Bridgette whispers quietly as her boyfriend's eyes went wide.

"Oooooh scandal!"

* * *

Michelle gazed at her lunch as Heather was talking crap about some poor girl at school and she quickly noticed the lack of her best friend's contribution to the conversation.

"Um Michelle, are you okay?" Heather asks, picking at her lunch.

Michelle put on a fake smile, "Yeah." She then gazes over at Courtney who was happily laughing at something Geoff said.

"Oh is it your man troubles?" Heather scoffed as she rolled her eyes, thank god her and her boyfriend Alejandro had no petty relationship problems.

"He likes her, I can tell. He's never looked at me the way he looks at that bitch." Michelle snarled, "I want to tear her hair out."

"Now he's asking to leave dates early just to check on her and Sophie, both are brats." She continues.

"So? He's your boyfriend, you let him know he can't leave. Show him why he was dating you in the first place." Heather explains but was cut off by Michelle's cell phone ringing.

Michelle looked at the caller ID and smiled. _Duncan._ This is the luxury she had that Courtney could only dream of, Duncan calling her 24/7.

"Hey baby," Michelle answered as she got up from the table so the girls wouldn't eavesdrop.

"Hey babe, listen I'm going to Gwen and Trent's tonight to celebrate their engagement and I was wondering if you wanted to go." He offered, only because Michelle hated when she wasn't invited to things.

All of that sweetness was gone and Michelle went back to her bitter self, "Why would I want to go? You know how much Gwen hates me. God, why are you always so clueless about these things!"

Duncan groaned on the other side if the call, "Because you were gonna get pissed if I didn't offer. Never mind, I'm going by myself. Later."

With that, the phone call ended and Michelle threw her phone on her bag as she threw a tantrum.

* * *

Gwen could only feel herself smirk once Duncan had told her that Michelle, his demon girlfriend wasn't coming to her engagement dinner tonight. In fact, she was overjoyed, she had always hated Michelle, she would judge Gwen on her clothing as if she were her mother, and wanting Duncan all to herself.

"How about you invite that princess you're always bringing up. I would love to meet her!" Gwen suggests happily.

The two were in Gwen and Trent's apartment as Duncan arrived early due to his parents being home all day and he didn't want to deal with him now.

Duncan chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "I don't know. Gwen, we aren't together, and I have a girlfriend who will be pretty pissed if she finds out."

Gwen shrugs, "All the more better." Duncan shares a laugh with his best friend before he turns serious.

"She'd never want to go anywhere with me," Gwen could've sworn that Duncan looked disappointed, he has never shown real emotion with any girl ever, it wasn't his fault though, he didn't know how to present emotion.

Duncan sighed and began to pace around the room back and forth, "God, what am I doing?"

Gwen approached him and held his shoulders, "You're falling for her, whether you like it or not."

* * *

Courtney was surprised to see both Diane and Thomas at home with Sophie since she figured they would be at work by now.

"Oh Courtney! We forgot to tell you that we had the rest of the day off today." Diane smiles while bouncing Sophie.

Sophie sees Courtney and begins to clap, "Pincess!" She calls out.

"Hi, my angel."

Courtney tried to hide her disappointment since she loved to watch over Sophie but the Jones' hadn't seen a lot of their daughter so she understood. She smiled back and then gathered her things.

"I'll let you guys have some quality time, I'll see you tomorrow." Courtney waves and heads for the door but is immediately stopped by a tall figure.

"Where are you off to, Princess?" Duncan asks with a head tilt and his signature smirk.

She motions over to his parents sitting down, "Um I have the day off now." She chuckles and opens the door once more, to get to her car.

Duncan bites his lip nervously, balancing his options in his head, he then thought to what Gwen had told him. _You're falling for her, whether you like it or not._

"Hey princ- I mean Courtney, do you think you would want to come over to a friend's house with me?" He finally asks after a silent debate with himself. Courtney stares at him in shock, so much so that he almost took it as a hell no.

But actually Courtney didn't know what to say, the guy that she hated to admit that she liked just asked her out, pretty much. Part of her, the smart part wanted to hit him and remind him that he had a girlfriend but the hopeful look in his eyes made the sweet part in her made her think otherwise.

"You're the last person I'd want to spend the day with, neanderthal." She crosses her arms but then lets her tough demeanor go, "But seeing as I now have a day off and nothing to do, I guess I will go."

Duncan lets out a silent sigh of relief and hands her a helmet, "You ever ridden a motorcycle before?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no," Courtney objects as Duncan had to practically drag her out of the house. She holds onto the helmet tight as she stares terrified at the motorcycle in the driveway. "Duncan, that looks dangerous."

Duncan looks at his bike then at Courtney, "It's completely safe, you've got your helmet and you'll hang onto me the entire time."

The young brunette placed her hand on the death contraption, according to her, maybe this was what Bridgette was telling her. To live a little, to have fun. "You'll make sure I'm safe, right?"

Duncan smiles, "Princess, I'll stop the entire bike if you don't feel safe, okay?"

Courtney takes a deep breath and begins to slowly nods earning a nod of approval from Duncan. He climbs on the bike first and warms it up as Courtney eventually makes her way to climb on the bike and place her helmet on top of her head. As soon as she made sure it was secure, she clutches Duncan's torso and hangs on for dear life. Duncan shakes his head at how scared she was but knew she would grow to love it.

"You ready, Princess?" Duncan calls out and Courtney gasps.

"No, but just start the goddamn thing anyway." She yells back and before she knew it Duncan had backed out of the driveway and onto the streets to Gwen's house.

During the ride, Courtney heard Duncan grunt and immediately got worried since he was the one driving. "What's wrong?" She asks.

"Might want to easen that grip on me, Princess." He just laughs and Courtney blushes and she slowly gets rid of the pressure she placed on his torso. Thank god he didn't see her turn red or he wouldn't have let her hear the end of it.

As Courtney started to ease up she noticed how nice it was, the ride, the sky, the wind blowing in her hair. Everything moved quick, she couldn't focus on just one thing and she loved that feeling. Duncan could feel Courtney let loose a little, and when she began to laugh and cheer he began to smile genuinely.

* * *

After a few minutes the pair finally made it to Gwen's apartment, and Courtney let her dark brown hair fall from being confined in the helmet.

"So who is your friend?" Courtney asks as they walked up the steps to the front door.

Duncan opened the door for her then they continued to the elevator, "It's my friend Gwen. She just got engaged so we're celebrating."

Courtney smiled brightly, "Oh how sweet."

Duncan knocked on the apartment door and Gwen opened the door happily. "You must be Courtney!" She grins from ear to ear as Courtney was taken aback.

"How do you know who I am?" Courtney started to back away and Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Relax, Duncan here talks about you often." Gwen jokes and Duncan turns beet red that doesn't go unnoticed by Courtney.

Duncan swiftly places his arm behind Gwen's head and gives it a light smack, "I just talk about you and Sophie is all."

"Ow!" Gwen howls and she hits Duncan right back.

Then, to get in front of the two, stood a tall man with fair light skin and shaggy black hair that rested just above his eyes so he could see. His attire consisted of a nice white dress shirt and black pants with regular black dress shoes.

"Babe, you aren't gonna do that at the wedding will you?" The man chuckles as he rested his hands on his fiance's waist.

Duncan holds the back of his head in pain and glares, "Trent you sure you wanna marry her, buddy?"

Gwen laughs but frowns once she sees Trent playfully think about it. She nudges him in the shoulder, "Too late to back out now,"

Trent smiles but then his eyes land on Courtney, "Oh hey, Courtney right?"

Courtney nods at the mention of her name, but then looks at Trent more closely, "Wait Trent Wyatts?" The young man grins and immediately embraced her.

Duncan's eyes were glued to the contact between Trent and Courtney, and so were Gwen's.

"Um wanna explain how you two know each other?" Gwen asks, and once Trent gets out of the embrace he simply laughs.

"I was Courtney's music mentor when she was just a freshman, she did well on the guitar but man, this girl can sing!" Trent exclaims as he recalls when he first sang a song with Courtney.

* * *

 _Courtney sat there quietly in the music room a Trent began to sort out some song sheets that he thought that she would like to sing. Ever since their first assignment last week, Courtney had been so quiet due to the fact that she shy and timid being only a freshman._

 _Mr. and Mrs. Rivera made it crucial for Courtney to stand out in college applications by enlisting her in certain activities such as music as soon as she got to high school. Courtney didn't know why she needed to though, she has played the violin perfectly since she was four, why did she need another music lesson._

 _Trent nervously smiles trying to connect with Courtney, "So, what kind of song do you want to perform at the concert?"_

 _Courtney didn't look at him though, her parents were expecting her to sing a Broadway classing like something from Wicked or the Phantom of the Opera, which Courtney loved, hell she grew up listening to Mamma Mia. But it wasn't necessarily her style, she wanted to sing something different feel something different._

" _Um, I'm not sure." Courtney admits quietly._

 _Trent nods and then sits in front of her, "Your parents gave me a list of songs to do but frankly, they are kind of old school." Courtney let out a slight laugh and Trent took this as progress._

" _I would like to try something out."_

 _Courtney ended up singing Bohemian Rhapsody with Trent and at the school concert as well. Her parents were visibly upset since it wasn't in their list of songs chosen for her but Courtney didn't care, the crowd loved it, and she loved it. That was all that mattered._

* * *

"She definitely can." Duncan mutters and everyone turns to grin smugly at him, especially Trent and Gwen. Courtney looked away to avoid her blush, and Gwen guides her to the dining room table.

"Okay, how about we start eating?" Gwen offers, dragging both her best friend and fiance to the table.

Duncan takes a big chug of beer and then sits beside Courtney as Trent followed after and sat next to Gwen.

Gwen then turns her focus over to Courtney who was quietly eating as she began to feel out of place at this dinner, this was essentially going to be a double date but Courtney was not Duncan's girlfriend, and she never will be.

"So tell me about yourself, Courtney." Gwen smiles which stops Trent and Duncan's side conversation as they tune in to listen as well.

Courtney shakes her head nervously, "There isn't much to say. I'm just a senior in high school, trying to be valedictorian, and being a babysitter on the side." Courtney jokes with the last part. Gwen squints at her, not in a bad way but in an interesting way. Courtney was holding back, she could tell, the shy, timid girl that Trent met in high school was coming back.

But once thing was for sure, Gwen had a better vibe from Courtney then she ever did with Michelle.

Gwen tilts her head, "Hey, I need to get my wedding dress soon, and I go with my mom she is going to drive me crazy. So, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. Maybe we can get to know each other."

Courtney hesitated, this girl that she hasn't even known for a good 2 hours was asking her to accompany her to go wedding dress shopping. But Courtney could tell Gwen was a great person and was trying to get her to feel included, she was very grateful for that.

"That sounds great, actually. Thank you." Courtney smiles as Gwen shot her a wink.

"No problem," She then whispers to Courtney so she could only hear, "I like you a lot more than Michelle anyways."


	8. Chapter Eight: Wicked Games

The way things were going, Courtney couldn't feel happier. Her job was a huge success, she acquired new friends in Gwen and Trent, and whether she wanted to admit it or not she enjoyed having Duncan's attention. Sure there were times where she felt awful because he was still in a relationship with the devil incarnate, herself.

"You're pretty happy today again, Mocha!" Geoff exclaimed in surprise. He was very ecstatic that Courtney had found something that made her mood shift, she now let loose and had fun. Hell, she jokes around with Geoff more now.

Courtney hums in response, "Yes, I am going to for sure be leading the debate, Wilson High is going _down."_ She exclaims pumping her fist.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with a certain guy?" Bridgette furthers the conversation, catching Courtney off guard.

Courtney looks around to see if anyone was listening, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Bridge. I am solely focusing on my debate, which is my ticket for success"

The trio continues to eat their lunch in peace, but their heads perk up when Heather and Michelle pass by their table, obviously talking louder on purpose.

"Really? Duncan gave you a one of a kind, ruby necklace?" Heather shrieks, practically calling Courtney's attention. But Courtney kept her focus on her lunch and didn't dare to look up.

Michelle smirks and continued the act, "Yeah, thank god, and he literally swept me off my feet when we kissed."

Courtney couldn't take the obnoxious ploy those witches were doing, so she slammed her tray down, cleaned up her belongings and stormed out of the cafeteria. Leaving Heather and Michelle in a fit of evil giggles.

* * *

 **Duncan's House**

Courtney almost dreaded driving up to the Jones' driveway, and her stomach was filled with butterflies. She didn't know if what Michelle was blabbing about in the cafeteria was right, or if it was all something to make her act up. But then again, Duncan and Michelle WERE a couple so that won't make her story far fetched, as much as Courtney wanted it to be.

Whatever the reason, it worked. Courtney wanted to throw a punch but she knew that would be unrefined. She didn't know why a guy like Duncan made her feel this way, he was, to be completely honest, a criminal who was the complete opposite of Courtney's type. Granted, she didn't have many stable relationships, since she was always so busy, but the guys she usually find attractive would be beaten to a pulp if they went up against Duncan.

"Okay, you're gonna ice him, make him forget about you, it's easier this way." She tells herself in the rearview mirror. She figured if she didn't talk to Duncan anymore, he would forget all about her and Michelle could back off.

She opened the front door to a sight that made her stomach drop, Duncan was sitting on the couch, back turned to her, his arms on the cushions and Michelle kissing him as she sat on his lap.

"Oh Courtney! We didn't hear you come in," Michelle says in a fake sweet voice, as she moves to sit next to Duncan. The punk instantly turns around at the mention of Courtney's name.

Courtney tried to plaster on a smile but it looked like a cry for help, "It's fine, I'll just be in Sophie's room." She quickly rushed into the room, quietly shutting the door since the baby was asleep. She let out a hefty breath, and slowly slid her back on the door and descended to the cold hardwood floor.

She sat there for a little while, playing with her hair and watching Sophie sleep for a little when she heard the front door open and close. Her interest became piqued but before she could make any sudden movement, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Princess, it's me." Duncan whispers and Courtney bites her lip, not even wanting to open the door.

She hesitates but then turns the doorknob revealing a very disturbed looking Duncan.

"Yes?" She asks, and it came off in a pissed off tone that took Duncan aback.

Duncan clears his throat and rubs a hand on his neck, "I'm sorry about that uh, Michelle thought it would be fun.."

Disgusted at where the conversation was going, Courtney waved her hand to stop him, "I don't need an explanation, it's your house. You and your girlfriend can do whatever you want."

"You bugged about something?" He questions with a raised eyebrow, making his piercing pop out.

Courtney rolled her eyes, she couldn't help it but their relationship was the last thing she wanted to talk about, "No, it's just your romantic encounters aren't really the images I need in my head. Now I have to go over my debate, it's this Saturday."

This makes Duncan smile, "Get out. Alright I'll be there."

"No, no, no. You don't need to. It's boring and besides I don't need you there to act like a neanderthal and distract me." Courtney scowls and pushed past Duncan to get to the living room to let Sophie sleep in peace. It wasn't like the fact of Duncan going to her debate that made her stomach flee in loops, but she was only encouraging something that would leave her heartbroken and she's too proud for that.

Duncan stopped her movement as he grasped her arm and pulled her back. Not so much i hurt her but enough to nearly lift her off the floor.

He waited until she was forced to look into his eyes before he spoke, "Hey, I'll be there and I mean it."

Courtney desperately tried to shake her arm away but gave up when she heard his promise. This wasn't like her, she wanted to slap herself to snap her out of this daze she's experiencing but even that hard action couldn't stop her from this.

"Fine, but I'm not holding you to it. I know you're just saying this to get my hopes up, well nice try, bucko. I don't fool easily." Courtney snapped and Duncan would be lying if he didn't find Courtney extremely attractive at this moment.

She wasn't the only one who was fighting emotions for the other, Duncan has had his fair share of mental fights with himself over his feelings for Courtney. He knew he had a girlfriend, and when he was in high school it seemed Michelle would be the best he could ever get. She was a cheerleader at the time with a mind of her own, and that's what attracted Duncan to her. In class, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and she looked damn good doing it. But that was before Michelle was caught in Heather's trap. Heather took her under her wing and the girl Duncan fell for was gone.

Michelle became this stuck up brat who quit cheer, and began taking shopping as a sport according to her. She then tried to change Duncan, because according to Heather, punk isn't a good look on a boyfriend. Duncan, being his normal self told Michelle off about her new ways and how he didn't recognize her. He was so close to leaving but inside he had a heart still, and when Michelle begged him to stay, he did. Now he was beginning to see that as a regret.

"Um Neanderthal?" Courtney calls out, snapping Duncan out of his memory daydream. His eyes met hers again as she coughed and motioned toward him still holding her arm.

"Oh sorry, Princess." He softly released his grip as Courtney shook her head.

She then lifted her pointer finger and gently pushed on her forehead, "I swear, the fact that thoughts still float in that thick skull of yours still astounds me." She then allows herself to let out a small giggle at the joke she made. Duncan couldn't help but smile at the sound of her laughter, it sounded so sweet and innocent. Music to his ears to be in fact.

His innocent smile then turned into a devilish smirk that Courtney knew meant trouble, his arms grabbed her waist, the contact made Courtney let out a small squeak as suddenly she was thrown over Duncan's shoulder.

Her fists began to pound on his back, "Put me down!" Her cheeks immediately turned red when she realized her butt was in his face.

"No can do, Princess. That joke really hurt my feelings." Duncan says in a mocking sad voice and begins to walk to the couch.

Courtney then has a smirk of her own plastered on her face, "Huh, the ogre has feelings?"

Duncan lets out a cold laugh and throws Courtney on the couch, she lands safely on the cushions and laughs. Duncan became entranced at the sound of her laughter once again, he began tickling Courtney's stomach and that was her weakness.

"No, No…" She says in between her fits of giggles, "I'm extremely ticklish, I surrender!" Once she cried Uncle, Duncan decided to stop and walked over to the smaller couch beside her and plopped down.

Courtney points over to him and playfully glares, "You're evil."

All he could do was shrug, "You know it, babe." Duncan winks, he won this round of a game they didn't know they were playing.

* * *

Much to Courtney and Duncan's delight, Sophie slept throughout the day and only woke up when she was hungry, then went back to sleep. This caused the pair to spend more time with each other, and much to their dismay, made their attraction so much stronger for one and another.

"Okay, so what's your favorite snack? Like say, if someone were to surprise you with a treat, what would you want?" Duncan asks, as they were heavily involved in a round of 20 questions.

Courtney didn't hesitate to answer, "Oh that's easy, _biscuits au beurre,_ or butter cookies from the French bakery in the town center. My mom is French, so we go there all the time," She smiles at the memories she and her Mom had at the beginning, before she was so heavily involved in work and barely had time for her anymore.

Duncan looked at her impressed, "You can speak French?"

She nods happily while placing a hair behind her ear, "I can speak French and Spanish fluently, and I am working on an Italian course this summer."

"Oh no need, I can teach you." Duncan waves his hand as if it was so simple. This caught Courtney off guard, she didn't know if he was playing around or not.

She initially took it as a joke and rolls her eyes, "Sure, and you can teach me Japanese too,"

Courtney stops when she realized Duncan wasn't laughing or saying that it was a joke, she then continues speaking, "You speak Italian?"

"Yeah, my dad is Italian and my mom is Italian American, so yeah I can speak Italian." Duncan laughs.

Courtney turns red as she initially doubted Duncan at first but waved off the embarrassment and went to intrigue, "Can you say a few things for me?" She asks.

" _Peccato che tu abbia dubitato di me, principessa_." Duncan says, perfectly with accent and everything. Courtney was left amazed to her core, and she couldn't help but find Duncan's Italian accent extremely attractive.

Luckily before Courtney had to manage to say something because her voice was caught in her throat, Sophie began to cry and gave her an opportunity to breathe for a second.

She got up and ran into the kitchen to get Sophie's bottle that was all ready for her. She didn't notice Duncan following behind her. Once she arrived to Sophie's room, the little girl reached her arms to Courtney, knowing it was her feeding time. Courtney gently lifted her up and placed the bottle's nipple to the baby's mouth as Sophie slowly began to drink and became sleepy once again.

Seeing Courtney feed his little sister actually put Duncan in a happy mood, and smiled once Courtney began singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in French. He didn't think she could get more beautiful and perfect, yet here she was. He frowned when he realized where his thoughts were at and left the room, not wanting to think of Courtney anymore. It was bad enough he felt himself falling for her even more,

A sudden musical sound made Duncan come back to reality and realized it was a phone's ringtone. He saw that it was Courtney's as she left it on the sofa's armrest. The ringing stopped signaling a missed call, then a message notification popped up. Duncan peeked into Sophie's room to see Court still occupied with the baby, so he sat down on the couch to get a better look.

The message made his blood boil and his fists clench, but he didn't know why he was getting like this.

It read, **Scott:** Hey we still on for tonight? My place right?

Duncan cracked his neck and numerous thoughts clouded his mind.

Who the hell was Scott and why was he messaging his Princess?!


End file.
